Baranya Lanmiriel-Hawall
"Strife is a part of how things are. We can focus on that, and doom ourselves to utter darkness... or we can try and kindle the light of hope until such a time as it may shine once again." -Baranya Lanmiriel "Rejoice! She is heiress to the powers of all Heroes. The savior of time and space, connecting the legends of the past and present to protect the future... and her name is Heavenly Warrior Kestrel!" -Sizouze "I am the invincible heroine of justice, Kestrel. Now... fight me, if you dare!" -Heavenly Warrior Kestrel Jarl Baranya Elena Lanmiriel, neé Hawall, is an inquisitor of Iomedae. She is known as Alderamina by the hosts of Heaven, is a member of the Egronian Noble House of Moscovi, and is a descendant of Jarvik Hawall the Orcfoe, a legendary Northern hero. She is the former Grand Diplomat of the Principality of Sanctuary. Though maimed by a dangerous draconic foe, she nevertheless continues the fight as Heavenly Warrior Kestrel (Tengoku Senshi Kestrel; ''天国戦士ケストレル). She is the counterpart to the original Baranya Hawall. History The middle daughter of an Egronian noblewoman and a Halmarian jarl, Baranya was brought up in the frozen wastes of Halmar, in a small mining community called Argent Pass. While there was a strong Iomedaean presence over the little town, due to the presence of a cathedral nearby, Baranya was brought up revering the empyreal lord Seramaydiel. When she was fifteen, three strangers came into town; they were adventurers who had come to make their fortune in the frozen north. Baranya was the one to welcome the three into town, and in so doing started a fast and strong friendship. In time, Baranya, Leandra Katstartos, Edwin Clowes, and Taeniir Lanmiriel became known as the Copper Rose Adventurer's Guild. Around this time, Baranya began learning the art of war under Leandra's guidance. The four members of the Copper Rose became close, but the closest bond forged between them was the bond of respect, friendship, and love that grew between Baranya and Taeniir. On the winter solstice of 999 AC, the two were married. A short time after the wedding, the Copper Rose backed up a band of Argent Pass militia on what seemed to be a routine patrol; however, it was a patrol that brought forth tragedy for the young Baranya. Ambushed by orcish raiders, the militia and the Copper Rose were forced to engage again unfavorable numbers. The humans won, but at great cost; Leandra and Edwin had died, as had six of the twenty militiamen. Baranya grieved for days, lamenting that she could do nothing to save her friends from such a meaningless fate, until eventually she was visited by a thrush, which alighted on her shoulder and spoke to the young girl. He said that he was called Sizouze, and had been sent by the heavenly host to render aid to Baranya. The young woman had been chosen for some unknowable purpose by the forces of Good, and Sizouze had been appointed to be her mentor, teaching her the ways of holy combat. Baranya accepted, and decided furthermore to swear herself as a devoted warrior of Iomedae. With locks of hair from Edwin and Leandra on hand, Baranya promised to find a way to bring her friends back to life. Knowing that she might have better luck in her mother's homeland finding what she required, Baranya took Taeniir along with her to Haven to begin their quest. After several successful adventures in and around Haven, Baranya was called back to the Kingdom of Halmar on personal business; her mother, Elena, had drawn ill, and Baranya was needed to assist in running the household. When her mother had recovered, Baranya spent several months in the hinterlands of Halmar, accompanied only by Sizouze and Taeniir; when they returned, Baranya had undergone a hallowed transformation. When other adventurers traveled to the planet of Sheng, Baranya and her company followed suit, taking a position of influence as the lead ambassador of the Principality of Sanctuary. Over the months, she eventually learned how to assume a new form - a spiritual apotheosis that was referred to as '''Heavenly Warrior Alderamina'. She would also become aware of the prior timeline, and regain the memories of her counterpart therein. She would also come to be a leader within the Golden Crusade, directly representing Iomedae as Her Lady-Crusader. Tragically, Baranya was gravely injured in the fallout of a battle against the powerful red dragon known as Shooting Star. As she attempted to protect fellow Lord-Crusader of Iomedae, Hikari Shiro, from certain death against a flight of red dragons, Baranya suffered extensive burns to the majority of her body. As a result of these injuries, her limbs were rendered useless, and not even the most potent restorative magic could return them to their previous state. Thanks to private funding, and the assistance of the Iomedaean Inquisition, Baranya underwent reconstructive surgery, affixing new, construct-like limbs where the old ones had once been. This act, unfortunately, had the unintended side-effect of cutting off her connection to the mystic power that once fueled her abilities; as a further slap in the face, accepting the limbs, while not a violation of Iomedae's paladin code, was a violation of Baranya's personal paladin code, which tragically caused her to fall from grace, and to lose the power that allowed her to become Heavenly Warrior Alderamina. Rather than reaffirm herself as a paladin, Baranya decided to accept a new role - the face of the Iomedaean Inquisition. During her absence, Baranya came into possession of two potent mystical items through means known only to herself. The first, the Kestrel Catalyzer, is a octahedral crystal that splits open to reveal a sphere emblazoned with a bird of prey. The second, the LegenDriver, is a belt buckle that appears around her waist when summoned. Using both in tandem, with the former driving the latter's activation, Baranya becomes the "invincible heroine of justice", Heavenly Warrior Kestrel. After the death of Maloglash, Baranya took the chance, in the peace that followed, to start a proper family. Her and Taeniir's son, Leif, was born the following year. Over the following years, her siblings also married, having children of their own. Appearance After her encounter with Shooting Star, Baranya has been remodeled into a part-construct fighting machine in the service of Iomedae. Her arms and legs alike have been replaced with sophisticated adamantine replicas, with the right arm getting the lion's share of the changes. Burn scars cover a sizable area of the right side of her face, another unwelcome reminder of the red dragon's wrath. Baranya wears a golden holy symbol of Iomedae, which she bought herself shortly after her conversion. Baranya has one tattoo on her chest, typically hidden from view, of Iomedae's holy symbol; this tattoo is currently ruined due to extensive burn damage. Through the use of two types of magical items, the Legend Catalyzers and the LegenDriver, Baranya can transform into the invincible heroine of justice, Heavenly Warrior Kestrel. As Kestrel, Baranya is clad in an identity-concealing magical costume that offers a suite of powers to aid her in combat. Using the various Catalyzers, Kestrel can assume the Aspects of various heroes of Oustomia and Sheng, and use powers that emulate them. Kestrel's default form, Kestrel Aspect, is based off of Baranya's own tireless pursuit of order in the face of entropy. It is capable of shifting into offensive or defensive modes to suit any combat situation. Her first alternate form, Manfred Aspect, is based off of Manfred Ackers. Possessing the namesake's prodigious endurance, Manfred Aspect excels at taking blows in stride, shrugging off attacks that would obliterate lesser beings. When pressed, Kestrel can amplify the LegenDriver's output with the use of an experimental add-on for the buckle, called the Shinka Booster. The Shinka Booster can be used in unison with any of the other Catalyzers to augment their powers and unlock new functionality. These forms are referred to as Chou Shinka Aspects. The expanded power comes at a cost, however; when in use, the Shinka Booster rapidly drains the Driver's daily allotment of energy, drastically reducing the time Baranya can remain transformed. Personality Among family, friends, and the average civilian, Baranya is an occasionally brooding, but ultimately friendly person. She does not look down on common folk (after all, she married a commoner) and always gives proper deference to those above her station she believes hold legitimate authority, from princes to gods. She is a natural wisecrack and punster, which can get her into trouble with her peers. Baranya approaches adventures and adventurers with suspicion and near-contempt. She perceives the average adventurer as an amoral sellsword willing to sell out their own mother if it meant a bigger payday. She only refers to herself as an 'adventurer' in the past tense, and does not describe what she does now as 'adventuring'; instead, she is a 'ally of justice' and she 'protects love and peace on this planet'. Baranya possesses a valorous, hot-blooded approach to adventuring that can easily be mistaken for blind zeal. Her brusque and unyielding attitude towards her foes, however, stems from worries that she may embody qualities in her alternate reality counterpart that she despises. It is this hatred for who she used to be - a heretic who forsook Iomedae and made pacts with the darkness - that haunts Baranya's soul. In her mind, Baranya's current status as a half-archon and a limbjack are part of Iomedae's divine punishment for her past life's sins. What look on the surface as divine blessings are actually a prison sentence, enslaving Baranya to slowly accept the thought patterns of an archon over her own instincts as a mortal. Baranya has not rebelled against this perceived treatment for one simple reason - she feels she deserves it. Friends and Family Taeniir Lanmiriel: They're married! Leif Lanmiriel: Baranya and Taeniir's beloved half-elven son. Istvan Hawall: Baranya's brother. Pietra Silvertide-Hawall: Baranya's sister. Henrik Hawall: Baranya's father, the Jarl of Argent Pass. Elena Hawall-Moscovi: Baranya's mother, an important merchant in Eastern Halmar. Sizouze: 'Baranya's former mentor. This codex archon is a font of information, and a trusted ally. Since his ascension to full archonhood, Sizouze is more likely to leave Baranya to her own devices, and pursue his own goals. [[Ventus Maelstrom|'Ventus]]: 'One of the princes of Egron, and leader of the Storm Guardians. [[Justin Tyne|'Justin Tyne]]: 'The leader of the Hunter's Guild. Enemies Baranya's most hated enemy is the red dragon known as Shooting Star. The merest mention of the dragon is enough to get Baranya to drop all other lines of questioning. Her only other enemies of note are the 'Thii, whom she is destined to combat. In a general sense, Baranya shows no quarter to evil dragons, evil outsiders, or evil aberrations, nor to any undead (regardless of whether they are evil or not). Aspirations Baranya's immediate goal is to secure a future for her son, nieces, and nephews by defeating any evil threat that would dare try to bring chaos and woe to Oustomia. Baranya holds a vengeful grudge against Shooting Star, and wants to see the dragon pay for what he did to her.Category:Player Characters Category:PvP Active